


A Game of Life

by September28thDaylight



Category: The Office (US)
Genre: Graphic Description, Inspired by Resident Evil and Silent Hill games, M/M, Original Character(s), Slow Build, Survival Horror, Violence, set in season 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:47:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23669368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/September28thDaylight/pseuds/September28thDaylight
Summary: They both loved games. Dwight preferred the ones he plays on his computer, while Jim never wasted an opportunity engaging in fun games at the office. None of them had ever thought they would end up playing a game with their lives at stake, and even worse, as a team.
Relationships: Jim Halpert & Dwight Schrute, Jim Halpert/Dwight Schrute
Comments: 28
Kudos: 43





	1. Escape Room

He had always been obsessed with science-fiction and fantasy, and for that he was called a weirdo, a freak, and most frequently throughout his life, a nerd. He wasn’t the only kid at school who had been bullied for his queer personality, nor was he the only adult to be avoided by people whenever he approached them. His fellow nerds formed a group, hidden from the eye of the public. They discussed their favorite superheroes, villains and video games, and he joined in.

Most people think that nerds obsess over the unreal world simply because they long to be a part of it, wishing for eternal isolation to escape the cruel reality where they get bullied and judged all the time. That might be true to some extent. Not for him though. What made him stand out among his quirky and socially rejected group was two things: He spoke up with no fear of what’s to come, and most importantly, he didn’t think of werewolves, vampires and zombies as made-up legends. He genuinely believed they existed.

When Dwight stood in front of the spotless glass box and fascinatedly watched what was inside of it, he wasn’t scared or even surprised. He just tried to determine the kind of creature he was looking at in order to come up with a plan on how to defeat it, or if that turned out to be impossible, escape it.

Dwight didn’t know where he was. He woke up with a headache to find himself lying on the floor of a dimly lit windowless room. It took his brain a couple of minutes to come back to consciousness and for his eyes to adjust to their surroundings. As soon as the blurry box-shaped glass in front of him formed a recognizable structure of its outline and contents, Dwight was up on his feet in a second to study the being standing inside what turned out to be a display box.

The undefined creature resembled what looked like a human being. It was as pale as a corpse. Its bulging eyes were decorated with red and blue veins, they almost popped out of their sockets. Such details were easy to observe because the creature in question was basically glued to the box.

Its melted hands pressed against the clean surface, but it wasn’t trying to escape or launch an attack. It just stood there, one of its twitching pupils stared right above Dwight’s head, while the other one looked down. Everything about it screamed “zombie”. Its lifeless stance, torn-off skin and the low growling sounds were all signs of a typical zombie.

Dwight was not entirely sure though.

The skull cavity of this creature was wider than that of a human’s and was bent backwards. Its face was deformed. No nose stood between the eyes, and the mouth was widely open, showing the upper and lower teeth being stuck together as if this thing was smiling. The rest of its limbs were all covered with melted skin, they didn’t look strong enough to hold its hideous heavy-looking head. That gave Dwight another reason to speculate the whole zombie theory.

Zombies are technically humans who die and come back to life in the form of soulless, flesh-eating corpses. This was something else. Dwight wasn’t sure what to call it, it could be an advanced mutated zombie which got dipped in acid and miraculously survived, or it could be an alien. But aliens are probably intelligent, even more so that humans, and this creature here was definitely not smart. For now, Dwight decided to call it the candle monster.

The candle monster did not respond when Dwight made two failed attempts to knock then pound on the glass for a good solid minute. The glass was unbreakable. Whoever put this box here did not intend for this monster to break out of it, not that it was trying to anyway. Dwight also noticed how crystal clear the glass was, indicating that it was recently placed here.

“Hey! You there” Dwight shouted while snapping his fingers around, too excited to get a reaction from the candle monster, but the thing wouldn’t move. It didn’t even flinch or change its sight direction when Dwight banged on the box. It almost seemed as if it wasn’t aware of the presence of someone else in the room. Dwight guessed it might be blind or deaf.

He pressed his face against the box, directly facing the monster. “Hey, answer me creature!” Dwight tried to grab the monster’s attention by making stupid faces that people do when they want to make children laugh, but he failed miserably.

After getting the cold shoulder from the candle monster, the reality of the situation and the fact that Dwight had probably been kidnapped started to sink in. The euphoria seeped out of his body and was replaced with a little surge of panic.

He had always planned for this moment and knew that foreign beings were going to start a war with humanity one day. He built his own shelter and stocked food and weapons for this occasion, but the possibility of being abducted however, had never occurred to him.

Heaving a shaky sigh, Dwight slowly turned around to take a look at the room which he abandoned inspecting earlier since all his attention was grabbed by his melted companion. His head throbbed again, and he could feel a small bump at the back of his skull. He guessed someone – or something – must have knocked him out and brought him here. Of course, his pockets were empty, his pager, cellphone and keys were all gone. _“You got this”_ Dwight told himself and stepped away from the box.

A large wooden door with a symbol carved in the middle of it faced him, he didn’t notice it earlier. Like any other hostage or prisoner would do, Dwight tried to escape. He ran to the door and opened it, but not surprisingly, it was locked with a brass four-digit combination padlock. Dwight groaned. _“Of course the damn thing is locked”_. He squinted his eyes trying to understand what was written on the door. “LX? What’s a LX”? Dwight whispered to himself, tracing his fingers along the carved letters.

This set-up reminded him of a game he used to play on his computer called Crimson Room, where he had to solve puzzles to escape a room then get to the next level. He remembered spending two nights trying to beat the game with Mose. It was extremely frustrating, but the satisfaction he felt after winning was worth it.

Dwight had always wondered what it would be like to play this game in real-life. One of his laser tag buddies told him that a live escape room will open soon in Japan, where players must solve mysteries and clues within a certain time to leave the room. Dwight added “visit the escape room” to his list of things he would do when he travels to Japan.

Waking up in this kind of room was not what Dwight had wished for though. Not knowing the reasons as to why he was put in this place was unsettling, and the presence of the candle monster was an indication that this was more than just a game.

Dwight loved following the rules, and clearly this padlock was placed for him to figure out the combination. But in this case, rules meant nothing. His life was on the line. The only logical and quick approach he thought to take right now was to find something to smash the padlock with.

Aside from the door and the glass box, the room was empty except for a steel table set up at one of the dark corners. There was nothing of value on it, just some scratches and layers of rust. Dwight tried to lift it up to use it for breaking the lock, but it wouldn’t budge. He crouched down and found that the table was strongly attached to the ground. _“Weird”_.

Something under the table caught Dwight’s eye. He got down on his knees to get a closer look at the object enveloped by darkness, but he couldn’t identify what it was. He grabbed it and crawled backwards under the light to find that the mysterious item he picked up turned out to be a music box.

The wooden box fit the palm of Dwight’s hand. He noticed an engraved floral patterns surrounding the word “Kindheit” on the lid, which meant “childhood” in German. Dwight brought the box to his nose, the strong sweet odor he sniffed immediately confirmed his assumption; this was not just any wood, it was authentic rosewood. The dark brown and red shade, and the relatively high density of the box gave it away. Rosewood is expensive, and Dwight knew that since he had always made sure to pick out the cheapest wood for the table making activity provided by the bed-and-breakfast in Schrute Farms.

He turned the small crack handle with two fingers, and a familiar melody started playing. Dwight was sure he’s heard it before, but his brain couldn’t fetch that specific memory. The notes held a very sad tune, and for some reason, nostalgia and grief went through his body like a shiver caused by coldness. Yet, his chest felt warm. He shrugged those mixed feelings off to focus on getting out of here. He opened the box and found a scrap of paper lying on top of the rotating gears and dotted cylinder.

_“If one was chosen_

_they shall face the consequences_

_It is a matter of time_

_before hell unleashes itself_

_Think through and hard_

_look closely, separate the characters”_

Dwight loved puzzles, but he wasn’t the biggest fan of poetry, and this seemed more of a poem to him than a riddle. He crossed his legs and hunched over the paper. His eyebrows almost became one as read it repeatedly, trying to understand what it meant to find how it could help him escape this place.

The music came to a stop, and Dwight found himself rotating the handle of the music box, filling the room once again with that bittersweet melody. For some odd reason, the silence bothered him.

“Think through and hard, look closely, separate the characters” Dwight muttered under his breath, studying the words carefully. These two lines caught his attention, they were probably telling him to look closely at something he most likely had missed. There were no other puzzles in the room except for the 4-digit combination he needed to figure out, and this paper here was his only clue.

The pain in Dwight’s frontal lobe was increasing by the second, the more he used the thinking part of his brain, the worst his headache got. He groaned in frustration as he rose to his feet, stuffing the paper in his pocket. “This is a waste of time”. 

Dwight strode to the door, the music box still in his hand, playing that familiar song. It might have been a small box, but Dwight believed it was heavy enough to get the job done. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his hands and brought them down with a loud clank as he hit the padlock, surrounding the room with sudden silence as the rosewood box broke into pieces. The padlock however, rattled lightly while it still dangled from the door handle, not a single scratch on it. 

“Damn it!” Dwight shouted at no one and kicked what was left of the box away. That music box was his only way out of here, there were no other heavy objects in the room to help him break through the lock. He rested his forehead against the door and closed his eyes to give his brain time to think. 

For a moment, Dwight considered that he was being held hostage and that this room was not designed for him to escape, but that paper he found was obviously giving him hints. He looked up and stared at the symbol on the door, which was another possible clue that he wasn’t able to solve. He tried to think of what the letters “LX” stood for, but the only abbreviation Dwight could think of was “luxury”, a business term used to describe packages that are available in vehicles. It made no sense; this could not help him find the combination. 

He needed numbers.

“Wait a minute” An idea popped into Dwight’s head. LX could be the number 60 when written as a Roman numeral, he couldn’t believe this never occurred to him earlier. He tried 0060, but the lock wouldn’t snap open. He then put in 6000, and it still wouldn’t work. The hope Dwight felt got immediately dashed to the ground. _“Of course it’s not gonna be that easy”_

Dwight sighed heavily and decided to resort to the last logical solution his brain could come up with. He tried the numbers 0001, 0002, 0003, and so on. 

This method would take time, Dwight knew that, but he had patience and a strong well to survive. Though it would have been more convenient and less time consuming if it was an electronic lock where Dwight would just press in the numbers instead of turning the damn combination wheels of this stupid traditional dial lock for every attempt. 

_A traditional padlock._

Dwight’s eyes widened when it hit him. This type of lock could only be placed from the inside, that’s why they’re typically used for cabinets or briefcases, not doors. Whoever placed this lock must still be in the room. 

He turned around very slowly, as if he was expecting to see someone standing right behind him. Thankfully, no one read his mind, he was the only one in the room, and the candle monster too, which much to Dwight’s disappointment, was still pressed against the box with that stupid look on its face.

The room was very small, it was impossible for the culprit to be hiding anywhere. Dwight had already searched every corner, unless there was a secret door hidden in the wall, just like in the movies. The possibility that the unknown captor might be armed did not occur to Dwight as he crazily paced around the room, rechecking every inch of the place and sliding his hand along the walls, looking for a secret way out of here. 

A wave of negativity crashed through Dwight’s body, he didn’t find a sliding door or a loose tile on the ground. Every time he came up with an idea or thought of something that he believed would be helpful, it would always get shut down really quick. He defeatedly dragged himself back to the door and carried on with his previous tedious task. It didn’t matter how long it would take; he’d eventually get to the right number. Still, the idea that the culprit put the lock and vanished still nagged him, making it harder for him to focus. 

Dwight was at his 43rd attempt when suddenly a ticking noise filled the room. It wasn’t loud enough to startle anyone, but the tension building up in Dwight made him flinch anyway. He scanned the room quickly but couldn’t determine where that sound was coming from.

Moving slowly, Dwight followed the sound. As soon as his eyes laid on the source of the ticking noise, he froze. It felt as if his whole body shut down expect for his brain, which was racing with a million jumbled thoughts fighting their way out of his head. 

A timer was blinking at the bottom of the display box, set right behind the candle monster. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what that timer was for. It was attached to a wrapped box, a mess of wires dangling out of it. Dwight must have missed it earlier since it was placed at a very dark spot, now illuminated by the blinding red digits, counting down second by second.

Dwight’s previous question was finally answered when he saw a trapdoor next to the bomb. _That’s where the abductor must have come from_. It would be physically impossible to move the huge display box, and even if Dwight somehow managed to, he wouldn’t be able to escape through the door since it was tightly sealed. 

The timer now read 96 seconds.

“Shit!” Dwight realized he was wasting time He turned around in circles, not knowing what to do with himself. There was no way he could try all the numbers in less than two minutes. The sound of the timer going down pierced his ears, an indication he was going to die very soon if he didn’t do something. 

Dwight had always been good at separating logic and emotions, and right now this skill of his was essential. It wasn’t easy, but he managed to discard fear and panic in less than a second to focus on using logical thinking. He ran to the door and squeezed his eyes shut. “Think! Think!” 

He had to come up with a 4-digit number. The only two clues he had found are the letters engraved on the door and the poem. With trembling hands, Dwight got the paper out of his pocket and read it again. _“look closely, separate the characters”_. Dwight chanted these words over and over, secretly hoping they would magically open the lock for him.

“Separate the characters” Dwight looked at the symbol on the door, and that’s when he got it all figured out. LX was not a whole number, he was supposed to look at it as two separate letters, L and X, which are 50 and 10 in the Roman numerals.

His heart was beating as he wheeled the dial lock, it was his last hope to get out alive. He knew that if this didn’t work, he would end up sharing the same fate as the music box, ripped into pieces and discarded all over the ground.

The sound of the lock finally clicking was music to his ears.

“Yes!” Dwight removed the padlock, and when he reached for the door handle, a loud bang came from behind him, which caused Dwight to duck down and cover his ears, but that didn’t stop them from getting affected by the sudden bang mixed with the sharp noise of glass shattering.

It took Dwight a moment to realize that he was still breathing, meaning his lungs still functioned. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at his shivering hands. They were still there, attached to the rest of his body. All his senses still worked. He tasted metal and smelled chemicals, maybe his ears were buzzing, but that was a normal aftermath for an explosion.

He looked up and saw the same decorated door he tried to open seconds ago; he hasn’t left earth yet. “I’m still alive” Dwight panted. He braced himself against the door and forced his shocked body to get up. He turned around and sighed heavily at the sight before him. 

Apparently, the impact of the bomb wasn’t powerful enough to destroy the whole room. Dwight wasn’t sure whether he got lucky or the bomb was designed that way, but it was most likely the latter. 

Fragments of glass were thrown all over the place, but that’s not what caught Dwight’s eye. It was the pitch-black figure lying still on the ground. Because of the fading smoke in the room, Dwight couldn’t see clearly enough to determine if the candle monster was alive or not. 

The smell of burning flesh emphasized the fact that it was completely burnt. It might have survived melting before, but there was no way it could still be alive after this explosion. Dwight pondered the idea of examining the body, it could help him understand what he was dealing with, and he was also curious.

When Dwight took two steps towards the burnt corpse, it came alive and was on its feet in less than a second, causing a startled yelp to escape him. The way the candle monster swiftly stood in one quick motion was mind-blowing, making it seem as if it was made out of fluid. 

It stood in its place. All its facial features were gone, turned to blackness. The teeth were still there though, smiling at Dwight, who slowly backed away until his back was pressed against the door. He thought this moment would be exciting, being face to face with the creature instead of having to observe it from behind a glass box. 

He thought wrong. 

Dwight’s heart was racing. The candle monster lost its eyes, but Dwight could tell it was staring right at him, which sent shivers down his spine. He carefully placed his hand on the door handle, studying the monster’s reaction. It didn’t move, but it was emitting low sounds that Dwight couldn’t identify, they almost resembled the growls of an alarmed dog approached by a stranger.

Thinking back on his previous speculations, Dwight was now certain he was not looking at a regular zombie. It didn’t seem hostile, and Dwight had not seen any signs of violence or attack attempts from it so far, which was somehow more terrifying to him. Dwight turned the handle, and the door creaked as he slowly opened it.

He was not ready for what came next. 

The candle monster opened its mouth, a long slippery tongue emerged from between its sharp teeth, followed by a loud unearthly growl. Dwight pushed the door open with all his weight, making a run for it.

He was greeted with a dark, seemingly endless hallway, but he didn’t care. He ran forward as fast as he could, the sound of the candle monster seemed to gradually increase. He didn’t dare look back as he could feel the presence of the monster chasing him getting closer. 

A wooden door surrounded by bright lamps finally came into view, and Dwight ran faster than his legs could handle. He was internally screaming and hoping he wouldn’t need another combination code to unlock this door.

He burst through the door, which fortunately for him turned out to be unlocked. Dwight didn’t bother giving the place he just entered a glance, he immediately turned around and slammed the door shut. A loud thud against it startled him, it was the candle monster.

Dwight pushed himself against the door to stop the monster from breaking through it. After a couple of agonizing minutes, the banging stopped, but Dwight didn’t move. He pressed his ear against the door and heard the same growling sounds the candle monster was making earlier. 

He was still not in the clear. Dwight took deep breaths and closed his eyes. He had no idea what to do next. Maybe the candle monster went back to its vacant state and Dwight could tip toe his way out of here, but he couldn’t take the risk. Still, standing here to block the door was not an ideal solution either, the candle monster might never leave.

A sudden familiar voice shouting his name interrupted Dwight’s thoughts. He recognized the voice and turned around instantly. 

It was Jim, standing a few feet away from him, a steel bat in his hand. 

“Dwight, Run!” 


	2. Alone in the Dark

Jim woke with a start. It wasn’t because of a bad dream. Something at the back of his mind alarmed him. For a brief terrifying second, Jim thought he went blind as he faced nothing but darkness. But when he turned his head to the side, he saw a lantern sitting on a table a little far from him, weakly illuminating unfamiliar surroundings.  


He understood where that unsettling feeling he woke up with came from.

The bed he was lying on didn’t belong to him. The mattress was so thin he could feel the steel springs digging into his back, but the quality of the bed was the least of his concerns right now.  


It was difficult to move, Jim’s body felt oddly heavy and his brain was on fire. The sensation was a bit like that of a hangover, except he wasn’t feeling nauseous, just confused.  


Jim groaned in pain, his back aching as he forced himself to sit up on the bed, which squeaked loudly at every move he made. He shut his eyes and rubbed his throbbing temples, trying to recall what happened before he found himself in this place.  


Faded memories started coming back to him in slow waves.  


The last thing he remembered was waking up to another ordinary day. He was already dressed for work, having breakfast and thinking of a prank to pull on Dwight when he heard noises coming from upstairs.  


His roommate, Mark, had just left for work, so it couldn’t have been him. Jim didn’t think much of it though until he heard it again a couple of minutes later, but it was louder this time. It sounded as if something’s dropped on the floor. He glanced over at the door of the back porch, but it didn’t look windy outside.  


Jim shrugged and got back to his cereal, but a door slamming upstairs startled him.  


“Hello?!” He called out, assuming Mark’s girlfriend had stayed the night. There was no response. Jim put his spoon down on the counter and headed upstairs to check it out.  


The two bedrooms and bathroom were all closed. Jim went up to Mark’s room first and knocked on the door, calling for Mark’s girlfriend again. Still no response. He checked the bathroom too, but no one was in there.  


When Jim entered his own bedroom, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. The window was open, just as he had left it. But as he noticed before, it wasn’t windy outside. That annoyed him a little because it sounded as if the door was closed with a force, either by a strong wind or a person.  


His stomach churned at the possibly that there could be an intruder in the house, but he laughed it off in his head and called himself silly. That was when he felt a hard blow at the back of his head, which was strong enough to knock him down.  


Jim’s hand travelled to the back of his head as he remembered that bit, and he could feel a small bump there. He concluded it was recent since it still hurt when he pressed his fingers against it.  


He also recalled struggling on the floor and feeling a sharp sting in his arm before everything went black. Thinking back on it now, he must have been drugged and brought here.  


_But why?_  


There was no point in thinking about who did this to him and why, what mattered was getting out of here. Jim searched his pockets, he knew he wouldn’t find his cellphone there, but he still needed to check just in case his abductor was not an intelligent individual.  


Jim sighed heavily and got out of bed. But his feet didn’t make contact with a hard floor, he felt something grainy covering his feet. It wasn’t very high though, just up to his ankles. He headed to the lantern, which turned out to be a vintage kind with a candle inside of it. It was already halfway melted.  


“Just great” Jim whispered to himself and took hold of the only source of light he got. He could see now that he was indeed standing in a pile of gravel, which was strange. Moving the lantern around while taking a few steps forward, Jim could finally tell where he was. That horrible musty smell made sense now.  


Judging by the narrow high windows, rusty pipes and cobwebs decorating the ceiling, Jim figured he was in a basement. The dim light of the lantern couldn’t help him see the whole place, so he had to move around randomly to look for a door. He noticed the windows were shut with wooden planks, apparently to prevent him from escaping through them.  


Jim walked slowly while staying close to the wall, where there was less gravel.  


Occasionally, Jim would look over his shoulder just to make sure no one was following him. Darkness had always had this effect on him. He hated the idea of not being able to see his surroundings clearly, since a lot of things could be lurking in the dark. The cruel pranks his older brothers played on him during sleepless nights when he was a kid had something do to with this silly fear of his.  


But this wasn’t a prank, and Jim still couldn’t believe he was handling the situation calmly.  


There was no denying that his heart was beating fast, and his eyes darted everywhere just to make sure nothing would suddenly jump at him from nowhere, but his brain worked fine, focusing on finding a way out of the basement. It was probably because of his survival instinct. Freaking out now would only slow him down.  


From what Jim could see, there was nothing of use in the basement. The opposite wall was visible to him, where he saw counters, an old washing machine, and what looked like a freezer. A bunch of cardboard boxes were set on the counters as well.  


The further he moved, the higher the pile of pebbles seemed to get. _“Why is there so much gravel in here?!”_

The distribution of the gravel was strange, Jim noted. It was accumulated in the middle of the basement, and it got steeper towards the walls, making an uneven pyramid-shaped pile. The counters and electrical appliances however were not covered in gravel at all, Jim could see a clear narrow path in front of them.  


He thought about walking over there to look for something useful in any of the boxes, but he would have to go through the huge heap of gravel, so he let the idea go.  


He passed a couple of half-buried rusty tables and chairs before he finally saw the stairs.  


Their physical condition was as the rest of the basement, old and covered with mold. Jim took slow careful steps upstairs, the creaking of the wood making him anxious for some reason. Fortunately for Jim, his journey didn’t take long. He was soon staring at the door to his freedom, but something caught his eye.  


A paper was placed against the steel door. Jim held the lantern closer to it.  


_“Dear you,_  


_I left the key in the back pocket of my dirty jeans. Help yourself. But be careful of our friends,_  


_They might help themselves to you first”_  


“What the hell?” Jim ignored the note and tried to open the door, but it was locked.  


He looked at the paper again. Was it meant for him? That didn’t make any sense. Why would the abductor tell his prisoner where to find the key? Could it be a trap? Jim noticed that this note looked new. It wasn’t crumpled and was plain white.  


It all seemed too sketchy for Jim; someone was messing with him. He considered the possibility that one of his friends or coworkers might have done this as a cruel joke, but he immediately dropped the idea.  


After all, he got hit in the head and then drugged. Who would do that?  


_“Could it be Dwight?”_ Jim thought. Dwight had an eccentric personality and was a suitable candidate for the role of the abductor. Besides, Jim did give him a hard time at the office, so a strong motivation was there. Still, would he really be able to hurt Jim because of some stupid pranks he played on him?  


Jim wouldn’t put it past Dwight to do this. The guy never fully understood proper human behavior. He wasn’t even sure that Dwight knew what crossing the line was. If Jim was being honest with himself, he deeply hoped that this was all just a payback Dwight had planned to get back at him.  


It was way better than the alternative.  


“Hello?!” Jim pounded on the door. “Is anyone out there? Dwight, is this you?” No one replied.  


The door was made of steel, and Jim did not have enough upper body strength or muscles to break through it.  


He had no other choice but to play along.  


Whether this was planned by Dwight or a psychopath who loved abducting random people and giving them riddles, Jim still needed to find the damn key.  


Taking another look at the note, Jim figured he had to find a dirty pair of jeans. That bit was obvious, but he couldn’t understand the rest. It sounded like the note was warning him about something, which was referred to as “friends”.  


Jim gulped and shook his head. There was no time for overthinking things. All he had to do was find those jeans.  


He didn’t get a chance to thoroughly explore the basement, and he hadn’t seen any clothes on his way here. Maybe he could find them in one of the cardboard boxes he noticed earlier. Jim went back down to the basement, dreading the situation.  


Having to walk through the tiny stones made Jim’s mission more difficult than it already was. The darkness didn’t help either. But it didn’t take him long to spot the boxes. Next to the counters was the washing machine; another idea came to Jim when he noticed it.  


The note read “dirty jeans”, so it would make more sense if they were inside the washing machine. Jim thought he should check it first since it would save him the time and trouble of having to look through each one of the cardboard boxes.  


To avoid walking through the annoying bundle of stones, Jim decided to head to the wall on his right where there was less gravel, then move straight until he reaches the small stone-less path in front the counters.  


Jim approached the wall but stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of movement in the gravel.  


It was only for a brief second, but Jim was certain he wasn’t imagining things. “Could be a rat” he rationalized, dismissing the fact that rats were not as big as the bulge he saw stirring in the gravel, he wasn’t even sure if they were capable of breathing under all these tiny rocks.  


Regardless, Jim ignored what he saw and kept moving until he heard grinding sounds, like something was moving again, closer to him this time. He couldn’t determine where these sounds came from.  


He took a quick look around the basement, but no one was there. He wouldn’t know anyway since it was pitch black in here, even with the light of the lantern, Jim couldn’t see everything, just the small area illuminated around him.  


“Stay calm” Jim breathed in and out, ignoring the fear creeping up his spine.  


The washing machine seemed way too far. Jim had a disturbing feeling that whatever was moving around him would soon show itself, and it would get ugly. He increased his pace, putting more effort to push through the unforgiving piles of gravel.  


“I’m gonna make it” Jim breathed out. He was getting closer to his target when he saw the lump again.  


Jim took a couple of steps back, but he kept enough distance for the light to reach that hidden bulge. It started moving slowly. Jim realized it was heading towards him as it grew in size, getting closer and faster.  


With all the strength left in him, Jim moved in the opposite direction of that bulge. But no amount of adrenaline was enough to get him to walk faster than whatever it was that followed him.  


His survival instinct kicked in again. There was no way he would reach the stairs in time, and it was a mistake to go back. Jim changed his path and headed towards the counters.  


He managed to reach them just in time. He quickly placed the lantern on the counter.  


Using both his hands, Jim gripped the edge of the counter and hoisted himself onto it. His back pressed against the wall as he swiftly bent his knees and hugged himself, trying to get as far away as possible from his chaser.  


Jim was panting at this point. His chest hurt; it was hard to breath in this damp basement. He could feel sweat dripping down his face.  


With wide eyes, Jim grabbed the lantern and scanned the area before him. The bulge wasn’t there.  


“What the hell was that?” Jim almost whimpered. Not knowing what he was running from made him more anxious. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths.  


“The key!” Jim whispered to himself. It was easier to get to the washing machine now, and Jim hoped to God he would find the key in there.  


After he calmed down a little, Jim crawled along the counters. It was difficult with the damn lantern in his hand, but there was no use in whining about the little things.  


Jim kept his eyes ahead, not wanting to turn and see something that would upset him.  


He remembered that one time when he was just 12 and rode a roller coaster with his brother Pete in spite of his fear of heights. Jim hated his tall genes so much that day. He didn’t want to go on that ride, but knowing his brothers, they wouldn’t let him hear the end of it if he admitted to being afraid. He couldn’t hide it any longer though and cried when the engines started roaring. Pete didn’t laugh, not at that moment anyway, and told him to close his eyes to avoid feeling more scared.  


His current situation was similar to that one, except this time he was alone, and he didn’t know what he was afraid of.  


The brief flashback faded away when Jim reached the washing machine at last. He set the lantern aside and took another look around, but he couldn’t detect any bulges swimming in the gravel. It was quiet.  


Thanks to his tall genes, Jim was able to reach down for the washing machine door without having to stretch down that much.  


The first thing Jim felt when he put his hand inside the was denim fabric.  


“Yes!”  


He grabbed the jeans and checked the back pockets to find the key. He sighed with relief, but it wasn’t over just yet. He had to go back into the gravel to get to the door.  


It would have been so much easier if Jim knew what he was dealing with. But given the circumstances, he knew he had to assume the worst.  


He needed protection.  


There were three boxes within his reach, and Jim thought it would be a good idea to check if he could find something to use as a weapon, just in case he needed one. Jim had a strong feeling he would definitely do.  


The first box contained old toys, of which none had sharp or heavy parts that would come in handy. Jim moved to the next one and found different sports equipment. “Aha!” There was a steel bat in there. He grabbed it and placed it aside. Nothing important was in the last box, just empty frames and broken decorations.  


The steel bat would work as a defense tool in case he was attacked, but Jim had a better idea. He could avoid getting himself into an uncomfortable encounter in the first place. He grabbed the heaviest looking toy – a car toy - from the box and threw it on the opposite direction of the stairs.  


Jim watched in horror as not just one, but two bulges moved towards the car. They came to a stop when they reached their prey, but it didn’t take long for it to disappear into the gravel. Jim jumped at the sudden movement. He couldn’t get a glimpse of what it was that swallowed the toy as it happened too fast, but he could hear the sound of the iron-made toy getting crushed.  


“Shit” He breathed heavily, clutching his chest. That could have been him. It would be him if he didn’t think through this carefully. He hadn’t considered the possibility that there was two these things in there. _“What if there was more?“_  


Now that he had seen with his own eyes what happened to that poor toy, he became hesitant, not wanting to end up as a corpse inside a pile of gravel in a damp, dark basement. At that moment, Jim realized that this was not a prank nor Dwight’s doing.  


Jim closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment to study his options. He could stay here, wait for whoever had locked him in this deadly basement to show themselves and tell him what they really wanted from him. But the real question was, how long could he stay here for?  


He would need water; his throat was already desert dry. Besides, he had no idea what these things were capable of, they might get to him eventually, and he couldn’t risk that. He clearly had no other choice but to get out of the basement. Jim wished he could walk on gravel.  


Jim’s eyes snapped open as he thought of something. He took hold of the lantern and crawled back towards the direction of the stairs until he reached the last counter. From there, not only the destination to the door was reasonable, but he could also use the scattered furniture as his lifeboats.  


“Yes, that could work” Jim told himself, feeling confident for the first time since he had woken up here.  


He went back to the boxes and grabbed some toys, stuffing as many of them as he could in each of his pants pockets and his shirt pocket as well. The light of the lantern started to slowly lose its brightness, the candle was about to melt away, giving Jim another reason to get out of here as soon as possible. He grabbed the baseball and tucked it in his belt, making sure it was fastened tightly.  


It was time to set his plan into motion.  


With all his survival supplies, Jim stood up and started walking carefully along the string of counters until they came to an end. The first jump he would have to make would not be that difficult, as there was a couch a few feet away from him. The problem was, it wasn’t as high as the counters; half of it was buried in the gravel, which would make it possible for those things to grab him.  


Jim knew he had to move quick. He took a deep breath and jumped onto the couch, landing perfectly without losing his balance. That however triggered his “friends”, he saw one of them approaching him, so he threw a toy in the opposite way, hoping it would distract it.  


The mysterious creature changed its direction, and Jim wasted no time jumping into the next couch. Two bulges moved his way this time, and he threw another toy, succeeding again in deceiving his predators, which both moved towards their bait.  


Jim focused on moving up ahead, trying to zone out the loud noises behind him. His next stop was a table, which was difficult to reach, considering not only the distance but the fact that he wouldn’t guarantee being able to jump from a low point into a higher one.  


He knew this would happen, and he had already prepared himself mentally for it. “I can do this” Jim counted to three in his head before he jumped into the gravel. He threw two toys in different directions without waiting to spot where the bulges would come from.  


His heart pounded against his chest with every step he took, but he eventually reached the table. Jim didn’t realize he was only a second away from being swallowed alive until he climbed up on the table, which rattled from the bulge moving inches away from it.  


The mini earthquake caused Jim to lose his balance. He dropped the lantern and braced himself on the surface of the table with both his hands.  


“Damn it!” Jim whispered, even though he wanted to scream his lungs out, but he couldn’t handle the attention of another one of these things. The lantern didn’t land that far from him, but it would be difficult to reach it by hand.  


Looking at the bright side, Jim knew he was getting closer to the door, just one more jump and he would make it. But one of the creatures was lying underneath the table, he had to get rid of it.  


Jim threw the last toy he had, gripping the edge of the table to avoid losing balance while the bulge beneath him moved. As soon as he was in the clear, Jim jumped into the gravel, he quickly grabbed the lantern and ran towards the stairs.  


“Finally!” Jim’s brain screamed as he took a few steps up the stairs. That moment of victory soon ended when he felt something grip his ankle. He turned around to find a long furry rod coming out of the gravel, its sharp end locked around his ankle.  


Panicking, Jim resisted the grip and tried to move, which caused him to fall on his back as the claw wrapped around him wouldn’t let go. The lantern slipped from his hand and landed a few steps down, close to the thing grabbing him.  


Jim cried in pain, but he could no longer feel it when his eyes laid on the creature before him. He almost passed out on the spot.  


Emerging from the gravel was a furry spider. Jim had no fear of spiders or insects in general, but this was no ordinary spider, or creature. It was enormous, twice Jim’s size, but that wasn’t the creepiest part. The “spider” was staring at Jim with eight black eyes, but that wasn’t the problem either. Spiders do have eight eyes, some species have six, but Jim knew that no spider in the world has a human face, or torso.  


The human-spider hybrid had a bald white head and a naked masculine torso, the rest of it connect to a spider’s body with multiple huge spider legs. Jim’s body was trembling, he held back tears and stared back at the creature, not knowing how to react. “Get away from me you freak!” Jim screamed, causing the grip around his ankle to tighten.  


“Fuck!” Jim felt the creature pulling him closer, it was not as fast as it was when it had swallowed toys in the gravel. A quick image flashed before Jim’s eyes: He was being dragged down, eaten slowly by the spider while he was still alive, screaming in pain with no one to help him, he would die here alone. Fear was taking over his body.  


_BOOM!_  


A loud bang came from upstairs, startling both Jim and the creature. Jim’s brain woke up in an instant, he was no longer afraid as the grip around his ankle loosened. He took out the steel bat and hit the spider’s leg as hard as he could, causing the spider to make inhuman muffled sounds before it let go of Jim.  


Jim was quickly stumbling up the stairs, he grabbed the lantern and headed straight to the door. Panting, he managed to unlock it with trembling hands. He burst through the door, not looking back as he ran forward in a dimly lit corridor.  


He could hear banging up ahead and it terrified him. But he didn’t care, he had to get away from the basement. The lantern was no longer useful to him, so he threw it behind and prepared himself for what he was about to see next. The steel bat would protect him.  


The banging came to a stop, and soon after that Jim found himself in a big empty hall. He spotted a familiar figure pressed against a door.  


Immediately, Jim felt at home. All his muscles relaxed. He had never thought that seeing Dwight would ever make him feel this safe.  


A loud thud came from the direction of the basement, causing Jim to flinch. He came back to the real world, where everything seemed unreal. The peace he felt earlier was now replaced by his protective instincts instead.


	3. A Forced Collaboration

“Jim?” Dwight whispered to himself. He blinked a few times, but the sight of a frantic Jim calling out for him didn’t disappear. It was as real as the monster growling behind the door.  


“We have to go. NOW!” Jim shouted, glued to the spot. He kept turning his head to the side as if he was searching or waiting for something.  


The noises of the candle monster were gradually increasing, apparently it was triggered by Jim’s voice. But it didn’t pound on the door like it did earlier. Dwight had to get away before the monster enters attack mode again and tries to break down the door.  


It was possible that making the run would alert the monster, and with no key available to lock the door, the candle monster might bust it open and chase not only Dwight this time, but Jim as well. Dwight didn’t even know where they would run to. From where he was standing, he could only spot a staircase, a double door - which he guessed was the building main entrance - and the corridor Jim kept looking towards.  


“Do you know where the exit is?” Dwight shouted back and received a confused look from Jim, who ignored the question and told Dwight to move his ass already.  


“I can’t leave the door. Just look for an exit!” Dwight explained, frustrated with Jim’s lack of quick understanding. “Check that door”  


Jim clicked his tongue and took one last look towards the corridor before he ran to the door Dwight pointed at. Dwight hoped it wouldn’t be closed, and that it would lead to the exit, not to another room with more riddles and locked doors.  


He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the loud delicious creak accompanied by bright light penetrating the artificially lit hallway. Jim looked back at Dwight with squinted eyes and motioned for him to get moving. “Come on!” He went outside and stood by the door, waiting impatiently for Dwight.  


“Okay...” Dwight took deep breaths as he prepared himself for the run of his life. The candle monster was still motionless, his growls however got deeper thanks to the loud talk Dwight and Jim exchanged. It didn’t matter though. This was his only chance to escape.  


Dwight darted away from the door as fast as he could. He looked over his shoulder but didn’t see the candle monster chasing him as he had expected, the door was still closed.  


Dwight’s heart ached for a split second when he realized he would never see that creature ever again. Part of him felt like he needed to spend more time with it to study its features and behaviors, but that would be dangerous considering how unpredictable and fast the monster was. Still, he missed his chance.  


There could be a dozen of these things out there though, but Dwight knew it wouldn’t be the same, that particular candle monster was the first extraterrestrial experience he’s ever encountered.  


Lost in his goodbyes, Dwight got taken aback by the sunlight when he finally exited the building. He groaned and covered his eyes with his arm.  


Along with Jim’s distant breathing, faint sounds of birds chirping reached Dwight’s ears. He opened his eyes slowly. The black spots started fading from his vision to eventually reveal countless trees and fallen leaves covering the uneven ground.  


Dwight realized they were probably in the woods.  


Looking behind him, he saw Jim pressed against the door of what turned out to be a very old house. Wooden planks covered each window, hence why it was too dark inside.  


“We have to keep going” Jim breathed out and walked past Dwight.  


“Wait a minute” Dwight grabbed Jim’s arm, turning him around so they faced each other.  


Jim looked horrible. His hair was messier than it usually is, and his lips were chapped. Dwight noticed he was wearing work clothes, his white shirt stained with dirt spots. At that moment, Dwight realized he was in his work clothes too, but he still couldn’t remember how he got here.  


“Dwight, we can’t stop” With that, Jim walked into the woods without waiting for Dwight’s affirmation. When Dwight called for him, Jim started running and shouted for Dwight to follow him.  


Dwight did just that.

  


They passed a lot of identical trees. Dwight felt like he’s been running around in circles for hours, although it’s probably been a few minutes.  


His mind raced with so many questions, other than what was going on, he wondered what the hell Jim was doing here. He showed up out of nowhere in the same place Dwight was trapped in, acting like a maniac, telling Dwight what to do. Dwight was dying to interrogate him for answers, but his chest hurt too much to be able to talk, it was hard to breathe.  


It wasn’t the easiest task catching up to Jim’s fast pace. Although Dwight would never admit it out loud, but even under normal circumstances, Jim would still be faster than him. Now that he was exhausted and not pumped with adrenaline like Jim obviously was, it would be impossible to keep going. He was out of breath and sweat started dripping down his face.  


He stopped, placing his hands on his knees as he breathed heavily.  


Jim noticed. “Hey! We can’t stop now” He approached Dwight and placed a hand on his shoulder, but it got smacked away the second it touched the fabric of his jacket.  


“Dwight...”  


Dwight held up his finger, silencing Jim and asking for a moment to catch his breath.  


There was no way the candle monster would catch up to them. Sure, it was fast, but if it were to follow them, it would have done that the moment Dwight let go of the door. For all he knew, they were safe out here, for now at least.  


“What...are you running from...exactly?” Dwight straightened up. He removed his glasses and started wiping them with his jacket. If he could make a wish right now, it would be to jump into a pool of ice-cold water.  


“Can we talk about that later? We have to move!” Jim was panting, his face glistening under the sunlight and his messy bangs stuck to his forehead.  


“Move where?” Dwight scoffed as he put his glasses back on. His throat hurt from thirst and his chest was on fire. There was no way he could keep running, but he wouldn’t tell Jim that of course.  


“I don’t know Dwight, but we need to stay away from that place” Jim spoke with his usual calm tone, but Dwight saw right through him.  


He seemed afraid.  


“What did you see in there? Was it the candle monster?”  


“What?” Jim furrowed his brow. He had no idea what Dwight was talking about.  


“Did you see a zombie? A melted one” Dwight asked nonchalantly, as if he was discussing work.  


“What are you talking about?” Jim rubbed his temple and headed for the nearest tree where he plopped down on the ground, pressing his back against the wide trunk. His grip was still tight around the steel bat.  


Fortunately, Jim had finally come to his senses and decided to take a break, because God knows Dwight needed that too. He followed Jim and stood a few feet away from him, watching him in silence as he took deep steady breaths.  


Dwight was glad that an ordinary individual such as Jim did not know who the candle monster was. That made him feel special in a way. He was chosen to meet the creature, not Jim.  


“I saw spiders...” Jim broke the silence.  


With a straight face, Dwight stared at Jim for a moment. Assuming it was a joke, he waited for the punch line. But Jim had his eyes closed and was apparently struggling to speak. Dwight concluded Jim wasn’t joking, which caused him to burst out with laughter.  


“Spiders? Really Jim? That’s what you’re afraid of?” Oh man, Dwight had no idea Jim was such a coward. He acted all tough and cool at the office, but it turned out Mr. Big Shot feared spiders.  


“No, Dwight!” Jim yelled over Dwight’s obnoxious laugh. “They weren’t ordinary spiders”  


“What Jim, did they fly? Fact: Spiders can fly. They can actually travel hundreds of miles through the air using their own silk…”  


“No, I wish that was the case. It was something else”  


“Jumping spiders? Cause this type of spiders do exist Jim”  


“No”  


“Well what is it then?”  


“You wouldn’t believe me”  


“Try me”  


Jim looked at Dwight this time. They stared at each other without saying a word. Dwight raised his eyebrows at Jim, waiting for him to spit it out. Whatever it was, Dwight was sure it would be utterly stupid.  


If Jim was scared of some little spiders, then Dwight wasn’t even sure whether telling him about the candle monster would be a good idea.  


“Okay. I saw one of them. It was huge”  


“How huge? Like as big as your nose?” Dwight snorted.  


“No” Jim gulped, ignoring Dwight’s mocking tone. “It was bigger than me, Dwight”  


Dwight was a bit surprised, but a mischievous smile formed on his face. The idea of a gigantic spider was intriguing, he’s never heard of such species before. As far as he knew, the Goliath Birdeater was the largest 12-inch spider ever discovered, and it can only be found in South America.  


“But that’s not all” Jim continued, suddenly getting aggressive. “The top half of it was human, with a torso and a fucking head”  


Jim didn’t get a reply from Dwight, who just stared at him with an expressionless face, that smile he wore seconds ago completely vanished.  


“I’m not crazy, Dwight. I know what I saw. That thing almost killed me”  


“No way…” Dwight muttered under his breath.  


After his encounter with the candle monster, Dwight knew anything was possible. He didn’t get a chance to give it much thought earlier, he just assumed they were going through a sophisticated zombie apocalypse or an alien invasion. This new information Jim provided made Dwight confused.  


Jim flinched when Dwight threw himself on the ground and crouched right next to him, their faces inches away from each other.  


Dwight looked deeply into Jim’s eyes.  


“Are you telling me…” He spoke slowly “that you have seen an actual real life Drider?”  


“A what?”  


Since he was a kid, one of Dwight’s favorite tabletop role-playing games was Dungeon and Dragons. He would play it with his cousins and a few of the friends he had from school, spending hours throughout the night role-playing in the barn. Dwight had always believed that the monsters in the game were based on real creatures that had indeed existed in the ancient times. The Drider, a creature with a human top part and a spider from the waist down, was one of said creatures.  


“Did it have a sword?” Dwight asked eagerly.  


“No, what are you…”  


“A crossbow then?”  


“No, it didn’t. I mean, I don’t think I noticed it holding a weapon”  


“Strange...”  


In the first edition of Dungeon and Dragons, the Drider had a crossbow, but then in later editions it evolved into a much cooler monster, with a sword for a weapon. Dwight guessed Jim was too traumatized to notice.  


“Did it bite you?” The question indicated that Dwight held concern for Jim’s wellbeing, but he was just curious to see what the bite would look like and how it would affect a human being. He had some previous knowledge of how to remove poison from the human body which would come in handy if, God forbid of course, Jim had been bitten.  


“No, it just grabbed my ankle with one of its spider legs” Jim was getting frustrated with all these questions, but Dwight did not notice his obvious annoyance, something much more important was occupying his mind.  


He wrapped his hand around Jim’s ankle to examine it. “Hey!” Jim protested but immediately gave up.  


“Was it this leg?”  


“Yeah. I told you it didn’t bite me”  


Pulling Jim’s sock down, Dwight saw a thick red line where the Drider must have gripped him. There were no signs of bites though. Dwight traced the mark with his thumb to look for punctured skin, but he found none.  


“Does it hurt?”  


“No”  


“Why did _you_ get to meet it?” Dwight whispered to himself. He was jealous that Jim was the one who got to see such creature, and the idiot managed to survive it somehow. Maybe he underestimated Jim after all.  


“Why are you making it sound like I’m so lucky? Do you even know how terrifying that was? I had to escape these monsters by jumping around on broken shit like I was super fucking Mario”  


“Oh man, you role-played as Mario?”  


And what did Dwight do? He didn’t even get to be Luigi. There was no hopping around or fighting monsters involved, just a trapped imbecile, a stupid expensive music box and a poem. Sure, the candle monster was magnificent, but the Drider is way cooler, and more intelligent.  


“Hey” Jim inhaled sharply. “I don’t think you understand how dangerous this is. I don’t know what’s going on and who’s messing with us, but this is a serious situation. Do you understand?”  


“Oh, I know what’s going on. It’s the apocalypse, Jim. And it’s not just a zombie apocalypse, it seems like variant kinds of creatures have emerged”  


“What are you talking about?”  


“Uh, I did mention this like a hundred times to you. I knew the apocalypse was coming. I imagined it would be a bit different, but regardless, I have always been prepared.”  


Jim sighed heavily and stood up.  


“Where are you going?” Dwight asked, getting up as well.  


“I’m thirsty, and tired”  


“We do need to find water. There could be a stream or a river nearby” Dwight’s been out hunting with his father too many times to count. Nature was basically his second home. Besides, he had read survival fiction books and seen apocalyptic movies which were enough to provide him with basic information about survival skills.  


Although, he’s never been lost in the woods before, and knowing something is different than being able to do it. This was going to be a real challenge Dwight was willing to take.  


He stood still, closed his eyes, and focused all his attention on his sense of hearing.  


“What are you doing?”  


“Shh, keep quiet. I’m trying to detect water” Running water could be heard even from a great distance, but all Dwight was able to hear was distant birds and the rustling of leaves. There was still a possibility that there might be an immobile body of water close by, like a lake or a pond.  


There were other ways Dwight had read about which could help them find water in nature. He told Jim they needed to either follow the birds or look for animal tracks as birds and animals often head towards water sources.  


“How do you know that?” Jim asked.  


Dwight opened his mouth to reply, but Jim interrupted him. “You know what, never mind. We’ll go with that”

  


They walked silently, side by side, going deeper into the woods. Dwight was focused on inspecting the ground for animal tracks while Jim kept an eye out for any dangerous animals, and in their case, weird creatures.  


As a farmer and deer hunter, Dwight was too familiar with animal tracks. He owned a database of each animal and its distinctive features in his head, and footprints were one of these features. He had a good eye for spotting them and was able to immediately identify which animal they belonged to.  


The task was not easy though. Being as exhausted and thirsty as he was, Dwight found it a bit difficult to focus.  


“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Jim asked.  


“I can’t see any tracks yet. They’re easier to spot on mud or sand, might take a while to find them in this dry dirt” Leaves, bushes and grass were also making the task harder.  


“A while? Like a couple of minutes? Hours?”  


“I am not entirely sure. Depends on how far the water is”  


“I wonder what time it is now. I don’t have my watch” Jim sighed.  


Dwight’s lost his watch too, or rather had it taken from him. He guessed it was probably between 12 to 3 pm, they still had time before the sun disappears on them. Wandering these woods at night would be dangerous.  


They needed to find a place to hide or build their own shelter before darkness settles in. Other than the dangerous nocturnal animals that get active at night, abnormal creatures such as the candle monster and the Drider might come out of nowhere and attack them. They had no idea what could be roaming these woods.  


_“One problem at a time”_ Dwight told himself as he tried to focus on his task.  


Minutes started to feel like hours, and Dwight’s body was getting weaker by the second. He was a human being after all, he had no idea how long it’s been since water entered his body.  


Dwight glanced at Jim, and to his relief, Jim looked as exhausted as he was. It’s not that Dwight wished him physical harm or anything like that, but he didn’t want to be the only one getting betrayed by their own body.  


Regardless, he had no choice but to keep going.  


While Dwight looked for animal tracks, he scouted the area for any fruits, vegetables or plants which might contain water. Even though it wouldn’t be that much, a small amount of water would still make a difference at this point.  


Dwight felt like there was a dark cloud hanging over his head, raining nothing but hopelessness and irritation, drenching him in desperation instead of clear soul-restoring water.  


The trees around them were fruitless, and the bushes were dry. Dwight couldn’t find any source of water which would help them hold up for a while.  


That dark annoying cloud disappeared the second Dwight noticed something on the ground. He dropped down to his knees to inspect his little discovery.  


“Found you!” He yelled with excitement.  


Two footprints – or so Dwight had presumed – were etched in the ground. They looked fresh, but Dwight couldn’t identify them. _“No way”_ He knows every single animal track, but the marks he was staring at were a new addition to his database.  


Their outline resembled a four-leaf clover, Dwight guessed that the heart-shaped bits were the animal’s fingers, or toes. “This can’t be right” Dwight got up and followed the tracks. They seemed to have come from behind the bushes. He noticed the marks repeating every few feet, indicating that their owner was jumping.  


“What’s going on?” Jim followed Dwight. “Did you find something?”  


“I found tracks” Dwight replied absentmindedly as he bent down to examine the strange tiny footprints. He scanned his database again for any similar tracks, but his head hurt from trying to get something that isn’t there.  


“That’s good, right? We could follow them?”  


“Yeah, but I don’t know which animal they belong to”  


Jim crouched next to Dwight. “Huh. These do look weird”  


“Well given the circumstances, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was another extraordinary creature, you know like the Drider or the candle monster”  


“The candle monster?”  


“Never mind” Dwight was not in the mood to talk about this now, but he knew he would have to tell Jim about it sometime.  


“It might be a normal animal you’ve never seen before. I mean, how do you even know we’re in Pennsylvania right now? Or in America?”  


Dwight narrowed his eyes as he gave Jim the death stare. He wasn’t sure if Jim was mocking him or not. “That’s not possible, I know all the animals in the world. These footprints don’t belong to a _normal_ animal”  


“Okay, but they’re really small though” Jim pointed out. “I doubt this thing would hurt us.”  


“Uh, do you even know how many small deadly creatures there are?”  


“Yeah but we could easily kill it or run from it” Jim stood up. “Come on, if this is our only chance to find water then we really need to move”  


Dwight considered his options for a moment. He could tell Jim to go to hell because he’s a good for nothing idiot, or he could follow the tracks, find water, and then everybody would win.  


“You’re an idiot” Dwight got up and inspected the marks. “The creature must have been sleeping or hiding in these bushes, so this would make it our starting point”  


Jim smiled. “Lead the way”

  


As they followed the tracks, Dwight noticed that the footprints were getting deeper, which didn’t make sense to him. It seemed as if this creature had suddenly become heavy.  


He was certain they were following a mystical creature, which would probably be harmful. That idea left an unsettling feeling in the pit of Dwight’s stomach, but at the same time, he was intrigued to meet another creature, which would hopefully turn out to be way more interesting than the candle monster.  


“Hey!” Jim interrupted his thoughts. “Do you hear that?”  


_Running water._  


“Finally!” Jim cheered and started running towards the source of the sound.  


“Wait up, damn it” Dwight abandoned the tracks and found himself following Jim, but the idiot was faster than him and had already vanished from sight.  


They shouldn’t be rushing into this. During his deer hunting sessions, Dwight’s father had taught him to always be quiet as to not disturb the deer, otherwise it would run away. In their case, they could be the prey, not the hunter. Whatever it was that led them to the water could be waiting there, ready for its next meal, which would be Jim. The idiot.  


Dwight’s heart pounded against his chest, but he was certain it wasn’t from the running. No, he was having strange feelings. His brain screamed at him to run faster, and his stomach was in knots. But his organs were communicating with him for the wrong reasons.  


He wasn’t scared or excited. What was it then?  


Was it concern?  


Dwight shrugged it off as he ran faster, following the sound of water particles hitting rocks.  


When the beautiful sight of a narrow water stream came to view, Dwight let out a long sigh and came to a stop. He scanned the area, looking for Jim and a creature with flower shaped feet. But it was quiet, except for the babbling water. No one – or thing – was there.  


Dwight went down the steep ground and approached the stream. The strong earthy aroma and the smell of wet grass hit his nostrils, but he didn’t enjoy it like he usually does.  


_“Was I too late?”_ Different scenarios played in his head. None of them had a happy ending.  


“Dwight!” Dwight’s head snapped to the side at the voice of Jim calling him. He was hunched over the water, a little far from where Dwight was standing, waving like an idiot with a big annoying smile on his face.  


Dwight heaved a sigh of relief. All the unexplainable feelings he got earlier disappeared, which gave him the answer as to why he had them in the first place.  


He didn’t like that answer.


	4. Basic Survival Skills

The cool liquid ran smoothly down Jim’s dry throat, but one gulp from his cupped hands wasn’t enough. He bent down and drank directly from the stream, almost burying his head underwater. Satisfied, Jim exhaled loudly as he sat up, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. 

He was tempted to jump into the stream and take a full relaxing bath. It wouldn’t be the same as having a bubble bath with a glass of wine in his cozy apartment that’s for sure, but Jim couldn’t really complain given he thought he would die of dehydration just a while ago. The water wasn’t that deep, and the flow wasn’t strong enough to drag a grown man’s body away. This was the perfect opportunity for Jim to wash the dirt and sweat off his body. 

It wouldn’t feel comfortable to completely undress though since he wasn’t alone. But getting his clothes wet would be a hassle, unless Dwight knew how to build a fire using things which they could find out here in the nature. 

_“Dwight!”._

_Damn it._ Jim got carried away and forgot about him. He felt a pang of guilt for leaving Dwight behind, especially that it was him who helped them find the water. He looked around, and thankfully it didn’t take him long to spot Dwight, who was standing not too far away from him, staring at the water. 

“Dwight!” Jim called out, waving at Dwight. He was so high on water that he’s genuinely felt excited for just seeing Dwight without a hidden motive or the anticipation to perform one of his pranks. Dwight on the other hand didn’t seem too happy to see him. 

He marched towards Jim with angry steps. “Why the hell did you run off?” He scolded with his hands pressed on hips, the missing pager made this pose less irritating somehow. 

“Sorry” Jim chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “I was too excited” 

“Did you drink from the stream?” 

“Yeah?” 

“You’re an idiot. It could be contaminated you know” 

_Of course it could._ “The water is crystal clear Dwight, and it didn’t taste funny to me” 

_“It didn’t taste funny to you”_ Dwight repeated Jim’s words in a mocking tone. “Don’t be fooled Jim. Water in the wild might contain minerals, bacteria, viruses, parasites, harmful microorganisms...” 

“Yeah, I get it Dwight” Jim interrupted, knowing that Dwight would go on forever with that list just to make some obvious point. “Well it is what it is. I’d rather take the risk of getting a little stomachache over dying of thirst” Jim argued calmly. 

“Stomachache? Are you serious? Do you even know what would happen to your body if you ingested these contaminants?” 

“Nope. But I do know that I’m gonna wash up in the water. By the way, do you know how to build a fire?” Jim stood up and started unbuttoning his shirt. “I want to wash my shirt too, it’s disgusting” 

Jim was not in the mood to face another obstacle and listen to Dwight exaggerate the risks of doing a simple life-saving act like drinking water. He’s been trying to block out the basement incident since he told Dwight about it, which wasn’t easy for him. Finding this “contaminated” stream was the only good thing that’s happened today. 

If Jim’s current mentality allowed him to be his usual self, then he would’ve easily tricked Dwight into believing that he’s caught something from the water and was slowly dying. But he didn’t have the energy or the right state of mind to do that now. Plus, as funny as that sounds, it’d still be a very cruel joke. 

For now, Jim wasn’t going to let Dwight ruin this peaceful moment for him. 

“Are you even listening to me?!” Dwight approached Jim and stood in front of him. He was too close for Jim’s comfort, but Dwight had never really respected personal space, and Jim was kind of used to it by now. “We need to purify the water and find something to collect it with before we leave” 

“Leave?” 

“And of course I know how to build a fire” Dwight’s eyes darted around their surroundings. Jim guessed he was looking for materials to build a fire. 

“Dwight, why do you want to leave? Can’t we stay here for the night?” Jim really didn’t want to leave the area; he had a feeling that if they left the stream then there was no way they’d ever find it again. 

“Because it’s dangerous to stay out in the night. Even if we built a shelter here, it wouldn’t be safe. Many animals, dangerous ones, are active around water at night. I don’t have my shotgun or rifle, so I can’t take that chance” 

_“What a bummer”_ Jim thought. He couldn’t determine whether it was a blessing or a curse that of all the people in the world, Dwight happened to be his partner in such a dreadful situation. On one hand, the guy wouldn’t stop blabbering nonsense, and he had all these crazy ideas that they were going through things you could only see in the movies. Also, he had an overall negative aura about him. 

But on the other hand, Dwight was useful to Jim. He’s an expert in things related to the wildlife. If it wasn’t for him, it would’ve taken Jim probably hours or days to find water, if he’d managed to that is. Besides, he knew important things like building a fire and a shelter, and apparently purifying water as well. 

“Okay” Jim sighed. “How about, we relax for a while, wash up a little, and then we head to work? You could show me how to clean the water and build a fire, then we’ll be out of here in a couple of hours” Jim could see the hesitation in Dwight’s eyes as he kept looking at the water. He must’ve been so thirsty and tired. 

“We can’t waste time Jim. It could take us hours to find what we need” 

“You’re a multitasker Dwight, right? I’m sure you could come up with an effective plan to get this done in no time” 

That seemed to work. Dwight went silent for a whole blissful minute. 

“Here’s what we’re gonna do. I’ll collect stones and tree branches to build the fire, while you go and look for a container, like a can or a bottle, preferably one that is made of steel. I will boil the water, and while it’s boiling, we could take that break you need so much” 

This plan wasn’t that bad. They could wash their clothes first and dry them up while the water is also being purified, that way they could save time and get a chance to relax in the stream a little longer before they’d have to move. 

Jim was impressed by the amount of energy Dwight had and his ability to abstain from drinking water. Maybe having Dwight as a partner was a blessing after all. 

  


Jim suggested they conduct their search around the same area to avoid getting separated. Dwight waved him off with a rushed “sure” as he set off to collect what he needed for the fire. Knowing Dwight, Jim decided to play the babysitter role by keeping an eye on him in case he got carried away and wandered off into the woods. But in this case, Jim was the one who needed Dwight’s protection, not the other way around. 

Although Jim was assigned to do the easier task, it wasn’t really that easy to find a container in the middle of the woods. There wasn’t any bottles or bags lying around, either people in the area cared too much about the environment, or these woods were deserted and had never witnessed human activities like hiking or hunting before. 

_“What if we were in the middle of some jungle in South America or something?”_ Jim thought as he walked along the stream, holding the steel bat with both his hands. That idea was far-fetched though, he wasn’t important enough to be taken into another continent just to be messed with. 

_But was Dwight?_

Jim looked at Dwight for the seventh time since they started the search and found that he was already arranging rocks into a circle, a few tree logs were sitting next to him too. _“Man, that was fast”_ Jim felt like a failure, but in his defense, it was really difficult to find a container, let alone a steel container. 

He decided to put more effort into this and expand his search area since he’s been circling the same spot for a while now. “Hey, Dwight” He called out. “I’m going to move a bit further, don’t leave the area, okay?” 

“Don’t go too far. You’ll get lost” Dwight yelled back at Jim without looking at him. “Do you know how to whistle?” 

“Yeah, why?” 

“If you encounter anything weird or get into trouble, just whistle to me” This time Dwight’s eyes met Jim’s, and his tone was persistent, sounding like an order more than a request. 

Dwight’s motives weren’t clear; he could either be worried about Jim or most likely just concerned about missing a chance to see some _cool_ creature like that terrifying spider he was so fascinated by. Whatever it was, Jim didn’t care, he just hoped he wouldn’t have to whistle at all. 

He started walking in the opposite direction of their “campsite” and headed deeper into the woods, dragging the bat on the ground to leave a trace behind him in case he lost his way. The sound of the water faded gradually with every step he took, but Jim made sure it was still audible. 

A voice at the back of his head whispered to him to head back to the stream. _“You’re going to get in trouble. These woods are not normal, they’re awfully quiet and probably hiding dangerous creatures, waiting for a prey to feast on”_

That was logic speaking to Jim, but he had his pride and ego to consider. Dwight was doing all the work, and so far, he’s been treating Jim like an ignorant kid. Normally this wouldn’t bother Jim, because he usually gets back at Dwight for acting like the better and smarter person with a simple, yet strongly effective prank. 

But the situation was different now, it was ambiguous and dangerous. It wasn’t an ordinary day at the office. 

Jim was aware of how dependent he was on Dwight, and it killed him. He should be relieved to be with someone as skilled as Dwight, but feelings of resentment surfaced the minute he saw Dwight building that fire. He wasn’t sure if these feelings were directed at Dwight, or himself. 

He snorted lightly when he realized how ridiculous it was to be thinking that way at a terrible time like this, but he couldn’t help it. Jim hated feeling useless. 

A sudden, painful growling in the pit of Jim’s stomach interrupted his thoughts. He unconsciously placed his hand on his belly. Now that the water problem was almost dealt with, his body started reminding him of another one of its needs. 

There wasn’t any fruits or veggies around. Jim wondered if there was fish in the stream that they could catch, or perhaps squirrels or rabbits that Dwight could hunt for food. 

“Oh God, now I’m thinking about eating squirrels and rabbits” Jim chuckled lightly. He had no idea how long it’s been since he was taken from his house, but judging by his awful hunger and lack of energy, he must have been without food for more than a day now. He didn’t even get a chance to finish half of his breakfast the morning of the abduction. 

In a matter of seconds, Jim’s appetite vanished when a strong, foul stench invaded his nostrils. He grunted and covered his nose with his arm, almost gagging out his empty stomach. 

A buzzing sound was coming from behind the bushes, and Jim’s legs took him there to find a stormy swarm of flies. The sight was revolting, but Jim was relieved that it wasn’t a dead animal, or worse, a human body that these insects feasted on. 

They were swimming around a backpack. 

_So there must be other people here._

With a disgusted face, pursed lips and a hand pressed firmly against his nose, Jim probed the backpack with the steel bat. Seeing as it obviously belonged to a person, possibly a hiker, Jim figured – or rather hoped – there’d be something useful inside the bag other than what was causing that horrible smell. 

The flies split up for a moment as Jim flipped the bag over, but they soon reunited, causing Jim to get frustrated. He waved them away by swinging the bat around, then he dragged the bag closer to him. 

“I can’t believe I’m doing this” Jim considered whistling for Dwight but changed his mind when a picture of Dwight making fun of him for not being able to open a backpack flashed before his eyes. He bent down, ignoring the couple of flies hovering over the bag as he slowly unzipped it. 

Jim flinched when he saw a glimpse of something moving inside. “Fuck this”. He opened the bag in one swift movement. This time, he couldn’t stop himself. He might have put up with the smell, but the sight of sticky worms coming out of rotten meat did it for him. 

He backed away from the bag and ran up to a tree where he threw up, letting out nothing but throat-burning stomach acid. The smell and flies did indicate that there was something nasty in the bag, but Jim didn’t expect it to have this strong effect on him. 

It was very painful to throw up on an empty stomach. Jim felt like he needed to unload more to get rid of the pain, but nothing was coming out. He ended up dry heaving until his throat hurt. 

Wiping his watery eyes and mouth, Jim stood up groggily and braced himself against the tree. His vision has gotten blurry because of the violent vomiting he’s gone through, but he knew it was temporary. 

_“Might as well just get this over with”_ Jim took deep breaths as he removed his tie and stuffed it into his pocket, calming himself down a bit. A grown-up man should be able to handle a simple thing like rotten meat, but it just took him by surprise. 

Before going back there, Jim decided to take precautions to avoid getting sick again. He took his shirt off and wrapped it around his face to cover both his nose and mouth, using the sleeves to tie a knot at the back of his head. He just hoped his eyes wouldn’t betray him again. 

Jim swatted the relentless flies away then placed his fingers at the bottom end of the backpack. It was more convenient to empty it out at once rather than having to put his hands in there and risk touching the meat. He picked the backpack up – which felt a bit heavy – and hurled out all its contents into the ground before he threw it away. 

Several items came out of the bag, but before Jim examined any of them, he kicked the rotten meat away with the bat as far away as possible, wincing every time a worm waddled out of the flesh or fell onto the ground. It wasn’t clear what type of meat it was, and frankly Jim didn’t care enough to give that horrifying decayed piece of meat any more look than necessary. 

He went back to where he discarded the items, wiping his hands on his pants even though he didn’t technically touch the meat, but they felt icky anyway. 

Relief washed over Jim’s body when his eyes laid on a stainless-steel bottle, the agonizing experience he just had wasn’t for nothing after all. 

The bottle was of decent size and looked of good quality too, but it was a bit dirty and smudged with sticky substance that Jim guessed came from the disgusting meat. Nothing water can’t wash away though. Jim bent down to inspect it further and noticed something written on it in a large flashy red font. 

“Congratulations on moving ahead!” 

“What the hell does that mean?” Jim muttered under his breath as he picked up the bottle. He guessed it was one of those cheesy phrases they usually put on stuff as decoration or whatever. 

Jim shook the bottle and heard liquid sloshing inside, which was probably water. The other contents of the backpack included a knife, one empty unlabeled can, two big rocks and a couple of small stones. Jim couldn’t figure out why the backpack person would carry rocks and stones with them. Wouldn’t it be bothersome to carry a heavy backpack with you? 

The knife and can could come in handy, and so Jim gathered them, along with the bottle, and put them inside the backpack after making sure that it was worm-free. The bag and items would still need to be washed, just in case. 

Jim put his shirt on and headed back to their campsite, which wasn’t hard to find since he hasn’t gone that far. Thankfully, Dwight was still there, and as expected, he managed to build a fire. Before Jim announced his presence, he went straight to the stream and took quick desperate gulps, aiding his sore burning throat. It helped him calm down a little and subside the pain in his stomach. 

As Jim walked over to where Dwight was, he heard several comments being thrown at him, but as usual, he decided to ignore them. “Hey! Are you listening to me? Don’t drink from the water!” 

“Hey, Dwight. Nice work” Jim said tiredly as he set the backpack down, which distracted Dwight from the lecture he was about to give. 

“Did you find something?” Dwight pointed at the bag. He was sitting crossed legged in front of the fire, feeding it thin tree branches. 

“Yeah. I found some stuff in this bag” Jim flopped down on the ground next to Dwight and opened the bag, taking out the items he found one by one. 

“Did you take it from someone?” 

“No, I found it” 

“With a dead body?” Dwight asked casually, causing Jim to widen his eyes. 

“What? No, it was just lying somewhere. There were no bodies, Dwight” 

“Why would someone dump a bag in the middle of the woods?” 

“I don’t know, maybe they didn’t need it anymore?” Jim wasn’t convinced by his own reasoning and knew what Dwight was getting at. But he didn’t want to think about the fact that someone might have died and gotten eaten or something in the same woods they were lost in. 

“Oh, a hunting knife! Awesome” Dwight snatched the knife from Jim and started examining it. “The blade is quite sharp” Dwight said as he ran his thumb across the edge of the knife. “It’s not of high quality of course, it could use some sharpening, but I could still use it to skin animals” 

“We could use it to defend ourselves too” Jim added. 

“Um, are you an idiot? We can’t use this as a defense tool, it’s small. If you approach a zombie with this knife it will grab you and bite your face off before you know it. That steel bat you have is far more useful in our situation, we could smash the zombie’s head with it, and it’ll die instantly if you manage to damage its brain” 

Jim lost Dwight at “zombie”. He sighed and got the bottle out of the bag. “I’m going to wash this and fill it with water so we could boil it, I’ll use this can too” 

“Did you find other containers?” 

“Nope. These are all I found” Jim took his shoes and socks off, then rolled his pants legs up before he went into the water. The coolness enveloping his feet felt good. He couldn’t wait to wash the rest of his body. 

While Jim cleaned the containers thoroughly, Dwight was busy testing the knife by cutting off the skin of a tree log with it, which set a soothing silent atmosphere between the two. Jim filled the containers with water and went over to the fire, where he placed them on top of the hot rocks. 

As Jim was about to straighten up, his eyes met Dwight’s, and he froze in an awkward position, leaning into the fire with his hand still hovering over the bottle. Dwight had a weird expression on his face, he was looking at Jim with squinted eyes and furrowed brows. Jim wasn’t sure if he was doing something wrong, and he expected to hear some sort of criticism at any moment. But Dwight was clearly holding back whatever it was he wanted to say, which was not like him at all. 

“You…okay?” Jim asked. 

Dwight averted his gaze from Jim’s and crossed his arms. _“What the hell is wrong with him?”_ Jim thought. Dwight usually blurts out his thoughts without thinking, especially if they were meant to correct someone or make fun of them. Jim was running out of patience, so he repeated the question in a much calmer tone. 

Jim wasn’t ignored the second time. Dwight looked at him and rolled his eyes. “Why are you pale?” 

“What?” Jim was taken aback. 

“Did you throw up earlier?” 

_Oh._

“I’m not blind. I can see the red spots on your cheeks. They’re called petechiae. There are many causes for them, but they appeared suddenly on your face so the only explanation for it is that you threw up” 

Dumbfounded, Jim stood up and looked down at Dwight, not knowing what to say. He wasn’t sure if Dwight was asking out of concern or was waiting for Jim’s affirmation just to give him a hard time about being the weakling who drinks contaminated water and gets sick. 

“Um, yeah. I felt sick all of a sudden, but it’s okay. I’m better now” Jim chuckled. “Come on, let’s wash up” 

Jim turned away from Dwight and walked towards the water. He was glad, and yet surprised, that Dwight followed him without nagging him further about the matter. 

  


The warm rays of the sun felt good on Jim’s bare skin as he and Dwight sat quietly at the edge of the stream in nothing but their underwear, their feet swaying in the water. As shitty as the situation was, Jim couldn’t help but feel relieved that it was at least happening during summer, otherwise they would have frozen to death by now. 

The process of cleaning up and boiling the water went smoother than Jim had thought it would. Dwight laid their washed clothes on a tree log that he placed over the fire, and they were already drying up. Every now and then, Jim would take a couple of quick sips from the stream whenever Dwight wasn’t looking, he didn’t want to wait for the water to boil and cool down. How Dwight had still not drank any water was beyond him. 

“Hey, Dwight?” Jim broke the silence. An uncharacteristically quiet Dwight was enjoyable, but Jim’s mood has gotten better. He didn’t mind starting a small talk. 

“What?” 

“How did you get here?” 

Dwight hummed. “I don’t know. I can’t remember” 

Jim told Dwight what happened to him in the morning of his abduction, and of course, Dwight went off topic and started criticizing the security system Jim had in his apartment, somehow making the fact that an intruder broke into his place was Jim’s own fault. 

“Hey, focus” Jim snapped his fingers at Dwight’s face, but they got smacked away immediately. “You’re here too, so your home security isn’t any better Dwight” 

“I actually can’t remember going home. Strange” Dwight replied calmly. 

“Well, it was Friday morning when it happened, what do you remember doing Thursday night?” 

“The last thing I remember was heading home…”

“You stayed a little longer at the office, remember?” Jim recalled teasing Dwight that day for wanting to stay at the office by suggesting they go out for drinks instead, and Dwight said something about how he’d rather die than hang out with Jim. 

“Oh yeah, I was finishing up extra work and then I left at around 6:30. But I can’t remember going into my car” 

“Do you think you were attacked at the office, or in the parking lot maybe?” 

“That’s a possibility, yes. Why can’t I remember any of it?” 

Whoever’s done this knew where Jim and Dwight worked and lived, and they must have been watching their every move. Who could have known that Dwight was going to stay late at the office that day? Unless they were indeed watching him 24/7. 

“Who do you think did this anyway?” Jim asked. He had already considered that Dwight might have hurt someone or crossed them in some way, as he seemed the type of guy who would have enemies or people holding grudges against him for whatever oblivious or intentional thing Dwight might have said or done. 

“Obviously someone who wants us dead” Dwight snorted. 

“Do you think…did you...” Jim hesitated, he contemplated getting his next words out in the least rude way possible. “Have you maybe, hurt someone in the past, or made enemies or something?” 

“Enemies? Hmm, I might have made a few in the past years. It’s their problem if they can’t handle the truth or me defending the honor of my family and farm legacy. Don’t even get me started on thieves and trespassers” 

“So, you’re not involved with some dangerous sketchy group, like the mafia perhaps?” Jim chuckled, and he wasn’t surprised that Dwight missed the sarcasm behind that question. 

“No, never the mafia, that’s a very dangerous territory. Although, me and Mose did get into trouble with a group of people years ago who we suspected were possibly linked to human trafficking, but we never confirmed that” 

Dwight let out those words so causally as if he was talking about an ordinary encounter that could happen to anybody. Jim didn’t know whether to take him seriously or not, but he’s never been able to really tell when Dwight was exaggerating or telling the truth, which in this current situation made Jim feel a bit uneasy. 

“Still” Dwight continued. “Even if I was targeted by some past rivals, why would _you_ be here? Did you piss someone off too?” 

That was a good point, Jim hasn’t thought about why someone like him would be taken to such place. As far as he knew, he’s never really bothered anyone, not in school, college, or work. He was always the peaceful guy who had a small social group that usually consisted of one to two friends or coworkers to hang out with every now and then. 

“Nope. I’ve never gotten into trouble with people my entire life. Maybe I was chosen as a test, for you. You know, cause you don’t like me and all” 

Dwight scoffed. “Yes, that is true, I don’t like you, but it’s a ridiculous theory” 

“Why? Think about it, we happened to be in the same building. Do you think it’s a coincidence? Of course not” 

“So you’re saying the culprit meant for us to work as a team to test me? How did they know we would even make it?” Dwight told Jim about what happened to him in that room and how he could have been eaten by that monster or blown up to pieces. In any other circumstances, Jim would never believe that a “candle monster” truly exists, but he himself have witnessed a similar abnormal creature in the basement after all. 

“Wait a minute” Jim said. “The box exploded, but it didn’t blow up the whole room. Maybe it was designed that way just to mess with you.” 

“That’s true. I did think about that” 

“Also, the explosion happened _after_ you cracked the code, which gave you time to escape the monster before it attacked” 

“Well yeah, but the bomb started ticking before I managed to unlock the door. What if I didn’t figure out the code? The candle monster would have probably killed me” 

Jim hummed in response. There was no way to tell whether the whole thing was planned for him and Dwight to meet, they could have both died at any minute and would have never even known that the other person was in the same building. 

“Do you think these creatures were just people in costumes?” Jim laughed at the idea of this being a sophisticated prank designed by someone from the office, maybe Pam had a makeup artist friend that he didn’t know about and they planned this thing together just to miss with him, and with Dwight of course. 

“Of course not!” Dwight’s high-pitched voice pierced through Jim’s peaceful thoughts. “I have examined the candle monster up close, it was real” 

“It could be a well-made costume. Don’t you watch horror movies Dwight?” Jim knew Dwight wouldn’t agree with that theory, and Jim himself wasn’t convinced either, but they still couldn’t rule out the possibility that this could be a very cruel prank, no matter how realistic everything seemed. 

“Yes, I watch horror movies, but I know what I saw. It was real, Jim” 

“Well, it doesn’t matter. We just need to focus on staying alive. It’s just…I can’t help but keep thinking about why we’re here” 

“I don’t think you’re here because of me. How would the culprit know we don’t like each other? You must have done something too” 

“Okay, let’s assume I did. We must have hurt the same people then. Can you think of someone dangerous that both of us know? Could it be a client that…” 

“Shut up” Dwight whispered. The look on his face made Jim’s muscles tense and his whole body froze for a minute. Dwight’s eyes were wide and were glued on a spot behind Jim, staring at something. Jim was terrified to turn around. 

“What is it Dwight?” His voice cracked. 

“Just stay still” Dwight said quietly, he didn’t seem scared, just focused. 

Dwight got up and moved very slowly as if he was standing on a minefield, tiptoeing past Jim towards the direction of whatever it was that caught his attention. 

“Dwight?!” Jim was still in his place, looking ahead. 

“Be quiet!” 

Jim’s frustration was eating him up, he could feel his heart pounding against his chest. Why the hell was Dwight heading towards something that could be dangerous? Jim shook his head and turned around, but before he got a look of what was happening, the yell Dwight let out startled him. 

“No!!” Dwight started running along the stream, ignoring Jim and leaving all their stuff behind. “Wait!” 

“Dwight?!!” Jim shouted as he got up to his feet. “Where are you going?!” Dwight kept running, and in a moment of panic, Jim collected their clothes and shoes, threw the bottle and can in the backpack and ran after Dwight as fast as he could, hoping to catch up to him. 

Jim cursed Dwight for running away like that, for leaving him behind, and for making him run barefoot in his underwear. The worst of it all was not knowing whether following Dwight was the smart thing to do, since it was possible that he was chasing some dangerous creature like the spider Jim had encountered, leading them right to their death. 

“Damn it, Dwight! Damn you!” 


End file.
